All I Wanted
by kelswii
Summary: NM/AU The Cullens are summoned to Italy with plans to protect their family and their favorite human but discover what they thought was true, was not. Bella is hiding more secrets than they can imagine.
1. Emergency

A/N: First off the disclaimer: I do not own any of this. The Twilight Saga belongs to Stephenie Meyer.

Now, this is going to take place in New Moon after Edward leaves and at least in the beginning will be mostly EPOV. Basically anything from the book other than him leaving and the birthday party didn't happen.

This is only my second story and is much more intense than the first so let me know what you think.

**Chapter 1 Emergency**

**EPOV**

It has been only six months since I last saw my Bella, heartbroken in the middle of the woods. Every day I have to forcibly remind myself why I left her. I replay her birthday over and over in my head. Sure I was able to protect her that one time but what if I wasn't there to protect her. I knew I had to remove my world from hers and that included removing me. I miss her more and more every day and will continue to do so until her last breath where I will follow her into whatever afterlife awaits me. If there is a God, I pray He will show mercy on me and let us be together in death. Of course I would never admit my secret wish because I know this is a dream too good to be true.

I'm currently traveling through South America, attempting to track Victoria. My tracking skills are subpar and I find myself reaching for my phone to contact Alice for aide in my search. I shouldn't bother her though; I've done enough to my siblings and parents. Not only have I taken their brother and son from them but also their sister and daughter. Alice and Esme are the most upset, although I noticed Emmett isn't his normal happy go lucky self. Jasper is feels extremely guilty and I tried to explain that it wasn't _him_ but what he is, what we are, that steeled my resolve to leave her. I have never blamed him. Carlisle is upset but he understands the most out of everyone. Rosalie is well she's Rosalie and is just pissed she had to move again. She was one of the main reasons I left the family, though no one knows this. She kept telling me how much danger I brought down on the family by being with a human and exposing our world. She also started planning to make Tanya her new sister. She and Tanya got along well since they were both shallow minded and self-centered. She started making plans for Tanya to live with us the next time we went to high school again and Tanya was going to attempt to "seduce" me. Yeah, like I could be tempted by her when I know there is an angel out there. This brought my thoughts back to Bella. It didn't take much for me to think of her and then I'd have to fight the urge to jump the next plane to Forks.

I was currently calculating how long it would take to me to run back to Forks when my phone vibrated in my pocket. I looked at the screen and saw it was Carlisle. Lately, I only answered his calls, since everyone else would just try to get me to come home.

"Carlisle."

"Edward, we need you to come home and before you argue it's not a request." He was using his firm "leader of this coven" voice and I knew it was serious.

"Can you tell me what this is about at all?" I was praying it wasn't Bella. I had a sinking feeling it was though.

"No son, not on the phone. It is urgent for you to come immediately. We're in the house in Alaska. Alice managed to book you a flight that did not stop in Seattle. She knew you would protest and as much as I would like to see you return to Forks, we need you here." I knew this was serious now. I couldn't imagine what would warrant this reaction from him.

"I'm on my way." I hung up the phone and started for the airport. Within four hours I was on a plane back to my family but not back to my heart.

I was greeted my Carlisle when I landed. Everyone else must know what's going on and to make it so they didn't have to block their thoughts only he came. He had mastered shielding his thoughts from me and Alice was the only other person who came close to his skill level. We greeted each other but I could tell he was anxious to we just continued to the car in silence. He broke the silence when we were inside the car.

"It's good to see you again son. Esme is thrilled to have you home." He smiled at me but it didn't reach his eyes. They were clouded with worry that I have never seen from him before.

"Carlisle, please tell me what is going on. Did something happen to…" I trailed off not able to speak her name.

"I honestly don't know if something has happened to Bella and I'm not sure if this even has anything to do with her. We've been summoned to Italy, the entire family including the Denali's. We received an invitation to join the Volturi to celebrate St. Marcus Day. We all know that is just a disguise to get us there and we have no idea what they are really seeking. It could just be another attempt to acquire you and Alice or even just to check the status of our family and if there are any new members. Or worse case scenario, they know about Bella. Alice hasn't had any visions to give us any indication."

This was very bad. If it was about me or Alice or even just checking up on us, we'd be fine. If it was about Bella I would have to protect her but there was no way I could protect her while in Volterra. Another problem was if we come into contact with Aro, then he will for sure know about Bella. This was a lose-lose situation. Carlisle's thoughts were echoing my own and from them I discovered the entire family did know about this like I thought.

I only saw one way out of this. "Carlisle, I think we should all go to Volterra but when it comes down to Bella only I will be punished for this. I will not allow the family to pay for my actions. I need to know you all will do everything to protect her."

"Edward," he said sternly "we will work something out. No one will be hurt. I will protect both you and Bella." I could see he truly believed this could be resolved without violence but I knew better. I had broken the law by exposing myself to a human. Normally the vampire would be given a warning and human killed but I hoped my sacrifice would keep her safe.

We pulled up to the house and I heard my family's thoughts welcoming me back, sort of. Alice was stilled pissed for having to leave Bella and she was wondering if she should try to see her future and if I would get mad about it. I thought about and decided it was for the best, if we could determine she was safe, then perhaps this wasn't about her and we could just avoid touching Aro.

"_Thank you so much, Edward. You finally made a good choice." _Alice began searching for her future and I turned to the other thoughts. I knew if I saw Bella in her mind I would submerse myself and never come out.

Esme's thoughts were a string of "_my sweet boy" _over and over. I felt so guilty for hurting her like this. I wished I was strong enough to have stayed with the family but with Rosalie's planning, seeing the couples together and Jasper's guilt compounding my own I had to get away.

Emmett kept picturing a fightwith the Volturi. There was nothing he loved more than a good fight. He was so excited to be able to take down James but he was also proud of himself to protect his baby sister. From his thoughts I knew he missed wrestling with me and Jasper. I again felt guilty for taking her and myself from their lives.

Jasper was happy to see me back but like Emmett was thinking about confronting the Volturi. His mind wasn't on the fight though; rather he was running through several military strategies. He was trying to think of every situation we could find ourselves in, including what type of room we may be in when the confrontation started. His thoughts whirled with placement of people to protect our weakest link and how to use our abilities to our advantages. He even thought of a scenario that included Bella in case she was kidnapped to Volterra but I shied away from it. It was too upsetting to even think about right now.

Rosalie's thoughts were pissed, worried, smug and conniving. She was once again pissed off that I exposed ourselves to Bella and had a relationship with her. She was worried about going to Italy and what the outcome may be. She was smug that she was right all along and I should have left Bella alone or allowed them to kill her after the van incident. She was also thinking that once we were done with the Volturi, she was going to convince me to marry Tanya. She started shielding her thoughts when she started thinking about that. I did however catch a glimpse of it and just the thought started a low growl that I could not contain. She thought Bella would be killed by the Volturi and we would be given a warning. Once Bella was out of the way, Tanya was going to step in and help me "get over my grief." Little did she know I wouldn't live in a world without my Bella, no without Bella, she's not mine anymore.

I entered the house, despite not wanting to see Rosalie. As soon as I was in the foyer, I was wrapped up in a hug from Esme. She held me tight and sobbing with dry tears. I held her just as tight, relishing the comfort she gave me, though it was small. She whispered in my ear, "You will never leave us again." I just nodded my head to acknowledge her but I knew there were circumstances surrounding us and I could not promise that to her.

Alice hugged me next and when I went to release her she stayed attached. Jasper chuckled and pried her off me and gave me the one armed man hug. Rosalie just nodded her head and Emmett picked me up in a giant bear hug. I was slightly fearful he was actually going to crush me.

Carlisle came in the door and said, "The Denali's are on their way now. The invitation requested our presence in two so we have little time to plan." I nodded and made my way to my room to drop off my bag. No sooner than I set it down, my mind began to fill with disgusting images. This was Tanya's attempt to seduce me, showing me which ways she could bend. It was disturbing to say the least. I stayed in my room until the last possible second. When I descended the last step, Tanya launched herself at me hugging me with enthusiasm. I returned it half heartedly, attempting to remain polite. Carlisle and Esme looked at me with sympathy. When Tanya turned to kiss me, I reached my limit and forced her off of me and greeted the rest of the family.

Carlisle led us all to the dining room. There weren't enough seats for all of us but we allowed the women to sit while the men stood. Carlisle was still at the head of the table behind Esme where he faced the crowd.

"I know you all understand why we are here but we need to make sure we cover our bases. The Volturi have summoned us and we must go, there is no other option. Now the best case scenario is they wish to ask some of us to join the guard. I highly doubt this is the case but it is possible. Next, would be they simply wish to check up on us due to our size and eating habits. Aro has always been weary of us and perhaps they want more information. Now the worst case scenario is they know about Bella. I doubt they will harm us in any way but they may go after her. We will only know this after we meet with them and only if they haven't gone to her first." Everyone's thoughts turned to Bella facing the Volturi by herself and I had conflicting urges. I wanted to either lie in a ball and wallow in my misery or go to Forks and kidnap Bella myself to make sure she was safe. Neither was going to help our situation but the latter was very enticing, especially if Bella could somehow forgive me and still love me.

Alice looked over at me with a sad expression on her face. I tried to read her thoughts but she was blocking them. "Edward, I'm sorry. I'm been trying to look into Bella's future since you agreed but its black. There's nothing there."

"Alice, what are you talking about?" From Carlisle's thoughts I could tell he was worried what this meant for Bella and he was wondering when I agreed to let Alice look for her.

"When Edward came home, I asked if I could look into Bella's future to make sure she was safe and he agreed. I've been searching everything but it's all black." The thoughts surrounding me all consisted of an already dead Bella and the pain I felt was far worse than even the pain of changing to a vampire. I thought for sure I was going to die from it. My knees buckled from under me and I heard this awful anguished sound and realized belatedly it came from me. I felt arms surround me and smelled Esme's scent, while she rocked me on the floor in the dining room both of us shaking from the sobs pouring from our bodies. Nobody said anything and thankfully they even tried to block their thoughts from me, even Tanya and Rose.

Finally, Jasper spoke, "What about Charlie? Alice can you see him, maybe that will give us an idea so we don't jump to conclusions." He looked at me while he said this and I felt my heart swell with hope. I didn't know if it was from his gift or his idea.

Alice sat there with a blank stare and I knew she was looking but I refused to read her mind. I wasn't strong enough to see something bad right now. Her eyes unglazed and she smiled brightly.

"Charlie's fine. He's at work right now but this weekend he will be going fishing. He wouldn't be fishing if something happened to Bella." I was flooded with relief from her words but I was still worried about my angel.

"Thank goodness, but I still think we need to ensure she is safe. Alice, maybe you could call their house. Charlie likes you enough that even if she wasn't there, he would tell you where she is." Carlisle's thoughts mirrored my own, relieved and hopeful but still worried.

Esme and I were still on the floor holding one another, shaken by what we had just gone through. She knew I needed a mother's comfort and I think she also needed the comfort that I was still with her.

Carlisle resumed the meeting, "The next item we need to discuss is not allowing the Volturi to know about Bella if they don't already. This means no one can touch Aro. I don't want to risk it and put us in more unnecessary danger." We all nodded our heads understanding. From their thoughts they all understood and knew they would avoid it even if the Volturi knew of Bella, but Tanya was blocking her thoughts from me but I didn't question it. Hopefully she was just trying not to think about sleeping with me.

"We leave tonight and I want everyone to hunt before we leave. I don't plan to stay long so pack lightly." Carlisle gave a pointed look at Alice and she nodded her head seriously. From her thoughts she only planned on one bag for both her and Jasper. She was deciding what everyone should wear when we meet with the Volturi but other than that she didn't care what we packed. I don't think Alice has ever gone anywhere without at least three bags, even when we go on extended hunting trips she packs several bags.

Esme squeezed me tightly then rose gracefully from the floor and followed everyone out of the house to hunt. The only people remaining were myself, Carlisle and Alice. Alice pulled out her cell phone and dialed the all too familiar number.

**APOV**

I dialed the number to Bella and Charlie's house and searched the future to see who would answer, praying it would be Bella, but luck was not on my side. Charlie was going to reluctantly answer and miss part of the baseball game he was watching.

"Chief Swan." Ahh, Charlie will always first and foremost be the wonderful police chief to the small town of Forks.

"Charlie, this is Alice Cullen, how are you?" I said in my sweetest voice. I knew Charlie liked me but I still worried about his reaction.

I heard an intake of air and then he softly said, "Is that really you Alice?"

"It's really me, Charlie. I was hoping I could talk to Bella. I miss her so much." That was the understatement of the century.

"Alice, I'm really sorry but Bella left town after you guys left. Every now and then I get a post card but I haven't heard from her in a while." I started to panic wondering where she would go and why she would leave her dad.

"Do you know where she went? Is she with Renee?" I got up and started pacing, frantically searching her future.

"Alice, there's something you don't know about Bella. She's not actually my daughter. She was living with Renee as a foster child when I adopted her. After Renee and I divorced, we kept in touch as friends and when Bella came to live with her, I went there to meet her. Bella was so much like me and looked so much like me that Renee swore she was my daughter and Bella and I grew close. When Renee remarried and wanted to travel with Phil I suggested Bella live with me and I decided to adopt her. We told everyone she was mine from my marriage to Renee so that she wouldn't be involved with the town gossip anymore than she already was. It's amazing how you can plant memories in people's heads. No one ever met Bella and yet they all had stories from her childhood." He chuckled as he said this and I was completely shocked. I couldn't believe she wouldn't tell us this when we trusted her with our secret.

"If you adopted her, then why did she leave?" I still couldn't wrap my mind around this.

"She was so upset when you all left. She was a shell of her former self. One day she received a phone call and she seemed to cheer up slightly but it still wasn't the same. That night she told me it was her real mother who called her and after they spoke she decided to meet her. I tried to get her to let me come with her but she refused and was stubborn as ever. She said she wanted a fresh start and she thanked me for everything. She got her GED and promised to stay in touch." He sounded sad when he said this but yet happy for her.

"Wow, Charlie thank you for telling me all of this. Did she give any indication where she might be? Where do the post cards come from?"

"Well the last one was from New York and before that Chicago. She said she was given access to a trust fund her grandparents setup for her and she is now traveling before she will go to college in the fall. The last one said she was going to travel through Europe." I paled at this, praying she wasn't in Italy.

"Thank you so much, Charlie. Please feel free to contact me at anytime and if you hear from Bella please call me."

"I will do that, Alice, but I'm not sure if she would want Edward to know. You take care of yourself."

I hung up the phone and looked at Edward. He had the same expression on his face as I did, worry.

Carlisle spoke, "Let's hunt. We won't be able to help her if we're weak." We all ran out of the house and began the hunt.

**EPOV**

I didn't know what to feel as we boarded the plane. Part of me was angry with Bella for not telling me the truth. Why would she lie about being adopted? Did she not trust me? This led to painful thoughts; maybe she didn't love me at all? No, she did, I can't deny that. I also felt guilty for hurting her so much she felt the need to run as soon as the first opportunity arose. Of course, I don't know the whole story about her real mother or why she gave Bella up. I worried for her, for us, for my family. If Bella was already dead, I was going to ask the Volturi to end me and if they refused I was going to force their hand. If Bella was alive, I was going to give anything to protect her, my life included. If by some miracle, she is alive and we're allowed to leave Volterra and live our lives, then I would do anything for her to forgive me. If she couldn't forgive me, then I would at least make sure she was happy. Finally, if she was not in Volterra, I was going to find her.

I felt sorry for Alice and Jasper. They were trying to enjoy each other but Alice was hit by so many visions because of the numerous decisions being made every minute. Jasper was being hit with everyone's emotions and was trying so hard not to project it out. I was being bombarded with thoughts, each couple thought of their mate and I couldn't help but think of Bella. I remembered the time we spent in the meadow and lost myself in the memory.

We arrived in Volterra the morning of St. Marcus Day. The town was preparing for the celebration. When we pulled up to the castle and were greeted by two of the guards. I recognized them from Carlisle's memories as Felix and Demetri. Felix was the muscle of the Volturi and was probably stronger than Emmett. Demetri was a tracker and a good one at that. He picked up on the tenor of someone's mind and could find them anywhere in the world. He was always sent to greet newcomers in order to pick up the mind.

"Hello, Felix and Demetri. How have you been?" Carlisle greeted them.

"Volterra misses you Carlisle. You have a lovely family. Please follow us; the brothers await you in the throne room." Demetri said. I tried to read their thoughts but both were blocking me. This set me even further on edge.

We were led down a series of hallways until we passed through a large wooden door and entered a large circular room. The ceiling was at least fifty feet high and had a mural that rivaled the Sistine Chapel. There were large windows along the top of the walls with stained glass. In the center of the room were three thrones set atop a raised platform. Each throne was decorated with intricate designs I could not make out from the distance. The walls were brick and the floor was made of cobblestone. As we entered I noticed the guard stood along the walls, essentially surrounding us. Once we were inside the door slammed shut and we were forced to turn our attention to the brothers.

Aro sat in the middle of the two with his throne closer to us. He had a smile on his face as he watched us and I again tried to read the thoughts of any of the Volturi but all were blocking me. Caius sat to Aro's left and also smiled at us but his was much more sinister. Marcus sat to Aro's right and did not offer a smile just a bored expression.

Aro stood and greeted us. "Carlisle, it is so wonderful to see you and your family. Please introduce us."

Carlisle smiled but it was cautious, "Hello brothers. This is my wife Esme, our children Emmett and his wife Rosalie, Jasper and his wife Alice and Edward. I will let Eleazar introduce his family."

Eleazar stepped forward. "It's nice to see you all, you know my wife Carmen. And these are Kate, Irina and Tanya."

"Wonderful, we are so pleased you accepted our invitation to celebrate St. Marcus Day with us. First and foremost I would like to extend an offer to Alice and Edward to join us in the guard and of course Eleazar you are always welcomed back."

Eleazar spoke first, "No, thank you Aro."

"Thank you for the offer but I have to decline." Alice spoke.

"I agree with Alice, thank you for the offer but I also decline." I prayed by voice did not betray my emotions.

"Very well then, I can always hope for the future. I suppose we should get to business. There have been allegations against your coven and since you are friends we wanted to learn your point of view. Carlisle, may I?" He held out his hand to Carlisle but Carlisle did not react.

"May I ask what these allegations are?" Carlisle was walking a thin line right now. He didn't want Aro to touch him but defying the Volturi is certain death.

"Well perhaps we shall bring in the vampire who came to us about this." He waved his hand to a guard member and they moved to the door at the back of the room and opened it. I saw the red hair before I saw her face. Victoria walked in with a smug expression on her face. I knew she told them about Bella but what else I had no clue.

"Victoria here has claimed you have exposed us to several humans. Including one named Bella who I was under the impression was Edward's mate. Is that not correct since she is not here with you and the invitation said to bring all mates." Aro looked directly at me but I knew not to speak. My emotions would quickly take over and I could get us all killed.

Carlisle didn't speak just lifted his hand to Aro who greedily took it. Aro held it and closed his eyes for several minutes. I watched from his mind as he sifted through all of Carlisle's thoughts and focused on ones of Bella. He saw that Bella knew what we were and that we left her in Forks after her birthday. He also saw that we don't know where she is now and Alice's visions of her are blank.

Aro released his hand and looked thoughtful for a moment and then said, "Very interesting. I would like to hear from Edward now." He looked at me and held out his hand to me.

I looked at Carlisle who nodded at me and raised my hand to Aro. He again closed his eyes and concentrated for several minutes. This time I watched my thoughts and memories reflected back from him. He focused more on our relationship and why I left her. He released my hand and stepped back.

He looked back at Victoria and said, "It seems there are some discrepancies between your accusations and their actions. You claimed there were werewolves and other humans involved, though I see none in their memories. You seem to exaggerate the truth in your quest to seek revenge on your mate. You also forget I have seen your plans to create a newborn army if we do not punish the Cullens as you wish. False accusations and plans to break a law are enough for death. Felix." We all gasped as Felix attacked Victoria and killed her before she even realized what was going to happen.

"I'm sorry for that, dear friends. However, we do need to address the issue with concerning Isabella. You have broken a law young Edward, by exposing yourself to her. I do understand she is your mate but by leaving her you risk her exposing us to all humans. I can only see two options available to you and I will let you decide. You all may leave with a warning that this behavior will not be tolerated again and we will find Isabella and destroy her or we will find her and you can change her. You can assist us in finding her if you wish."


	2. Let the Flames Begin

**A/N: Warning: Lemons ahead. This is the first time I've ever written one so leave me some feedback!**

**Chapter 2 Let the Flames Begin**

**EPOV**

"Aro said we're free to leave so why are we still here!?" Tanya shrilled.

We were in our suite back at the hotel where most of us were quiet, contemplating our options. From the thoughts of my family most wanted Bella to be a vampire and to stay with us. Deep down I wanted that too but could I really risk her soul just for my selfish desire to keep her. There was no doubt in my mind she would hate me if I changed her. I couldn't take her life away from her but I couldn't allow her to die. There had to be another way. I just had to find it.

"Come on, Eddie. Let's go home and start our life together." Tanya was trying to grab my hand and drag me with her. I just ripped my hand from hers and glared at her.

The Denalis were free to leave when they wished. Aro simply wanted to ensure we didn't expose ourselves to more than just Bella and since we lived in Alaska before Forks the Denalis were summoned also.

Eleazar spoke before I could kill Tanya. "You all have some decisions to make so we'll head back to Alaska." Irina and Kate grabbed Tanya and forced her to leave with them. Once they were gone Carlisle called a family meeting.

"This is a very big decision to make and I would like to make it as a family since it will affect us all. I think we all understand the options presented but I would like to present a third. However, I will present it based on what the family votes. Esme, what is your vote?" He was blocking his thoughts from me and it frustrated me that he found another option but would not share it.

"She belongs with this family. I will not leave her to die." If Esme could cry she would be. Her thoughts revolved around having Bella with her family and everyone being happy.

Carlisle nodded and said, "Emmett?"

"Hell yeah! Baby sis belongs with us, I won't let anything hurt her. I wouldn't be her favorite big brother if I left her to fend off the creepy old dudes by herself." He was extremely protective of his "baby sis."

Carlisle nodded again, "Rose?"

I was honestly scared of her response. While I did not want Bella to be forced into this life, I don't think I could hear someone vote for her to die, especially not my family. I was still completely torn on my own decision. Rose has always made her dislike of Bella known and I knew she would let it shine now. I felt like I had just eaten an entire meal of human food and now needed to throw it up.

"I'm sorry but I think we should let them take care of her. She is no longer our responsibility and we should leave Italy now before the Volturi change their minds and kill us all." She didn't sound sorry at all. My chest felt like it had been ripped open and I wanted to cry so badly. I avoided her thoughts completely in fear of hearing something I really didn't want to and killing her.

Carlisle nodded again but his thoughts betrayed him, "_Rose is always so selfish and after everything this family has done for her."_ "Alice?"

"Yes, we change her. Bella has always belonged with us." "_I love you Edward, everything will work out. I know you're conflicted right now but please go with your heart." _I gave her a small smile but was still very conflicted.

Carlisle smiled at her, "Jasper?"

I wasn't sure how he would vote. He has always had a healthy fear of the Volturi and when I exposed ourselves to Bella he was one who opposed it, although not as adamantly as Rose. His reasons were not selfish either, but rather he wanted to protect us.

"I agree with Alice, she's family and we can't just leave her." I smiled at Jasper thankful for his feelings toward my Bella.

Carlisle nodded and placed his hand on my shoulder, "Edward?"

I still didn't know what to do. I would not just leave her, that was not an option but I couldn't change her. Perhaps I could go with the Volturi to find her and then run away with her and hide her somewhere. "_Edward, that won't work. They'll kill you and her and then come after the family."_ Alice was right. I looked at everyone. Esme was smiling encouragingly at me. Emmett was grinning like a fool. Rose was scowling at me, her hate filled thoughts screaming at me. Alice was smiling widely seeing the direction I was going. Jasper had a small smile on his face. And finally Carlisle was showing me that he would support me if I choose to change her and he would help me through this. His thoughts were memories of when he was forced to change Esme and how he felt then and how he feels now with his mate by his side forever. I couldn't believe I was going to say this.

"Change her."

Rose stood and started screaming, "WHAT!? HOW CAN YOU FORCE THIS LIFE ON HER?"

"Rosalie, SIT!" She reluctantly sat, following Carlisle's order. "You so easily forget you asked me to change Emmett for you. You forced this life on your mate and Edward supported you and helped you both through troubling times. It is about time you supported him and this family." Rose just sat there with her head down. On the outside she was remorseful but on the inside she was nothing but. She didn't want Bella in the family because Bella would take the attention away from her. Jasper never saw Rose as a sister, maybe sister-in-law, but never as his sister. He had already taken Bella as his little sister and that pissed Rose off. She was jealous of the relationships Bella had already formed with the family.

"Now, I also agree to change her. However, I think Bella should get the ultimate vote. It is her life after all. We stay and help find her and then we sit down with Bella and let her decide. Before she makes her decision I want her to know all of the facts. Edward, I want you to explain to her why you left. No more lies. She needs to know the truth."

I nodded at him. I agreed with him. We needed to clear up the air before any major decisions could be made. This would also provide time to figure out another way to keep her alive and human.

There was a knock at the door and I heard the thoughts but I couldn't believe it. Carlisle went to open the door and his thoughts were just as surprised as mine. Marcus, one of the Volturi brothers was here. He was completely stoic and bored at the meeting we had with them today. Marcus' mate, Didyme, was murdered by Aro, since then he has simply been going through life with no reason at all. Chelsea keeps him bound to the Volturi against his will. During the meeting his thoughts were very few but now his thoughts were completely blank and there was only one other person who could do that and it was Bella.

"Marcus, what a surprise, what can we do for you?" When Carlisle announced it was Marcus, shocked expressions and thoughts rang from the group.

"Actually, Carlisle, I would like to speak with young Edward, if I may?" I heard his thoughts then, "_I have matters to discuss with you in private, Edward. Don't worry, I mean no harm. I know where Isabella is but cannot share this information with you family and neither can you. It is very important this remain between us."_

I stood and nodded to Carlisle, "Perhaps, we could go somewhere more private." I assured the family I would return and left with Marcus. He was usually accompanied by at least one guard member and I was curious as to why he would allow himself to be so exposed.

We exited the hotel from the back and a limo was waiting for us. I noticed the driver was human and not associated with the Volturi at all. We drove out of the city and into the countryside for about an hour. The car turned down a long private drive and at the end was a small cottage. It looked like it had been there since the beginning of time. We exited the car and Marcus told the driver to return in one hour. He led the way into the cottage and sat in one of the two armchairs by the fireplace. I sat in the other and turned to him waiting for him to speak.

"Young Edward, you need to understand that what I'm about to tell you can never be spoken of again. If this information were to get out, it would not only risk our lives but Isabella's and your family's lives as well." I nodded still wondering what he knows about Bella.

"I suppose I should start from the beginning. Do you know where vampires originated?" I shook my head, no. "It was roughly the 1100's in a small town outside of Rome. There was a small family, two sons and a daughter whose father was a farmer. Oh, hell I might as well tell the truth, it was my family. I was the eldest son. Our mother died giving birth to my sister. I was eight and my brother, William, was six. We managed to do well for ourselves, with myself and my brother helping my father with the farm and the other women in town would help care for our sister. I was twenty-five when my brother and I were arranged to be married to two sisters. Our father convinced us to marry the sisters, even though we didn't want to. You see, they're family was very wealthy and their father agreed to pay a large sum to whomever married the sisters. You would think that would be an enticing offer, however the family practiced witchcraft and no one dared become involved with them.

"My brother and I discovered our father was going to lose the farm and didn't have enough money to pay the taxes so he and I agreed to marry them to save the farm. Under the agreement we were to leave the town since the sisters wanted to travel. My brother and I did not want to leave our sister and father but there was no other choice. Our father was searching for strong young men to marry our sister and help with the farm since we would not be there. Two weeks before we were to marry, our father was killed when he was bucked from his horse. When he died, the farm was taken from us and the money from the marriages would not be enough to help our sister if we were to leave. In our grief, we decided to leave the town with what little we owned and start somewhere new. We left in the middle of the night and traveled for three straight days before stopping. We began to setup camp and our sister remained at the campsite while my brother and I went in search of wood for a fire.

"William and I separated from each other, he went north and I went south. All of a sudden I became very weak and ill. I attempted to go back but collapsed on the forest floor. That was when the burning began. I was consumed by the fire that burned my body. I wasn't sure how long I lay writhing on the ground but when I woke my senses were sharper, I was stronger and my throat ached. It was the first full moon since we left the town and I was just beginning to remember what happened when I heard the howl of a wolf. I didn't know why but I just knew I had to go to it.

"When I found the wolf, the burning in my throat intensified until it was unbearable. All I could think about was finding something to stop the burning. The wolf growled at me, whimpered and looked down at the ground. I looked at the spot and saw her. My little sister who I swore I would protect until the end of my life was lying on the dirty ground broken and bleeding. Her heartbeat was barely audible and even though my throat burned, all I wanted was to save her, heal her.

"The moon went behind the clouds and the wolf changed to a man before my eyes. He changed to my brother, William. He started sobbing and went to pick up our sister but I knew enough to know not to move her so I stopped him and nearly ripped his arms off until I realized my strength. I understood then, the sisters we were to marry had cast a curse upon us. I don't know how but William and I understood what we had become. William explained how our sister came upon him and when the full moon came out, he attacked her but she wouldn't change until the next full moon and her injuries were too severe for her to survive. Somehow I knew, if I bit her, she would burn for several days like I did and she would become like me.

"I didn't hesitate, I bit her. The clouds were dissipating and the moon was starting to show so I forced William to leave in case he injured her more and I stayed by her side. She was strangely quiet and I thought she was dead. I decided to wait for William to return before we buried her. He returned three days later and we began to dig her grave. My throat still burned so badly but I overcome with grief. I had failed her so horribly. She had always been the light in our lives. She was so beautiful and everyone was intimidated by her but she was always kind. She hated all things being a lady included; she wanted to be like one of the men and hated to be treated like she was not equal.

"As we dug her grave, we shared our memories of her. Like when she was eight and she climbed a tree in our front yard. She climbed to the top and then suddenly was terrified to come down and screamed bloody murder for us to save her. It took both William and I to get her down and when she got to the last limb she decided to jump where she broke her arm. She was very clumsy, always tripping on her skirts or just air in general. This was when I discovered I could not cry; there were no tears.

"When I turned to lift her into the grave, she was standing there staring at me with her wide beautiful brown eyes. William and I were so shocked and happy, we grabbed her and hugged her as strong as we could, then found ourselves being thrown away from her. I looked at her and her eyes were no longer brown but crimson like mine and she had slight fangs. She was shocked at what she did and didn't understand it. Again, I suddenly realized what had happened. My venom and William's werewolf venom mixed to create her. She could change from human to vampire. Of course there were differences. She wasn't as strong as either of us or as fast. Her skin was just as impenetrable and her teeth weren't sharp, hence the fangs. Her vision and hearing were equal to us. She only had these qualities when in her vampire form. Her human form was the same as always.

"We decided to stay in the woods away from humans until we understood everything. Each day we learned something new. The burning got worse for my sister and I and our eyes turned black. She was unable to change back to her human form. We continued to hide but one day we came across a small unit of the Roman army in the woods. We couldn't resist them. Their beating hearts and sweet blood called to us. My sister and I killed them all without even knowing it. It was almost like we were in a trance and didn't realize what we did until it was over. She immediately changed back to her human form and began to cry. I tried to comfort her but she just kept saying she was a murderer."

His story was fascinating but I had no idea what it had to do with Bella. His thoughts were still blocked from me and I wondered how he was doing it. I could tell he was lost in thought and it was driving me crazy now to know. I wished I could have seen his thoughts while he was speaking. I finally spoke to him.

"This is a fascinating story but what does this have to do with Bella? You said you knew where she was, please tell me." As much as I wanted to know more, I needed to get to Bella.

"Before I answer that, I want to ask you something. Why did you leave her?" He tilted his head like he was curious and I wondered why he wanted to know.

I took a deep breath and started, "This world is too dangerous for her. She deserves so much better. She deserves someone who can make love to her without fear of killing her, someone who can grow old with her and give her babies. She deserves the world I can't be in."

"Did you ever think that maybe she just deserved to be loved? What if she never falls in love again? She will grow old by herself and never have babies. Is that what you want for her? Did you ask her what she wanted?"

"Of course she deserves to be loved and yes I love her but I'm still not good for her. Humans move on, she'll be able to also. She'll love some other man and he'll give her children." I was turning green with envy thinking of another man marry my Bella, making love to her, giving her children.

"What about what she wanted?"

"She said she wanted me but she didn't know. She is young, she has no idea what she's missing out on." God, I missed her so much.

"I'm not as young as you think I am."

I looked up when I heard the heavenly voice. There she was my angel, right before me. She was so beautiful with her long dark brown hair and pale perfect skin. Her sexy as hell full lips begging to be kissed by me. She was slightly different though, her eyes were the most brilliant blue I had ever seen but they were still her eyes. The biggest difference though, was that she smelled like a vampire and not the delicious meal she used to. She smiled shyly at me but I sat there like a fish with my mouth opening and closing.

"I suppose I shall make introductions, Edward, this is my little sister, Isabella." Marcus stood and approached Bella and gave her a small hug before he left. I was still sitting there like a jackass.

She sat in the seat Marcus occupied and turned to me. "Edward, please say something. I'm so sorry I lied to you but we couldn't risk Aro finding out. It's difficult enough with Marcus being so close and I swear I was going to tell you but I just had to wait." She kept rambling but I couldn't take anymore. I grabbed her and kissed her like never before. I could feel her strength and durability and kissed her harder. That was when it hit me; she was immortal, like me. She could change into a vampire at anytime but she never did.

I jumped away from her then, pissed off. "Why didn't you tell me? We could have bypassed a lot of bullshit and you wouldn't have been in danger!" I was still in shock but slowly coming to my senses.

"I was never in danger. If I was I would have shifted before anything happened. I'm sorry I couldn't tell you but I physical proof you weren't going to leave me, like you did!" Uh oh, she was pissed now and God she was beautiful. Fire raged in her eyes and they turned the most beautiful shade of green.

"What do you mean physical proof; 'I love you' isn't enough!?" I was still pissed and in shock.

"Excuse me, mister 'I don't want you, you're not good for me,' how the hell could I believe you just by your words!?" I couldn't take it anymore. I kissed her hard again shoving all of my love, want, desire for her straight into her mouth. I felt the fangs Marcus talked about with my tongue and it was more proof she was indestructible and I was going to make her mine.

I broke from her mouth and attacked her neck. She started moaning and she grabbed my hands and put them on her breasts. It was the first time I had ever felt them and they were glorious but it wasn't enough. I grabbed the front of her shirt and ripped it away from her body. She moaned again and I stepped back to look at her. She was magnificent with her hair slightly tousled and her chest heaving with her breaths. Her bra was a sinful midnight blue lace and her eyes once again changed colors to a stunning violet.

I realized what we were going to do but I couldn't allow it to happen in a frenzy. I wanted the first time we made love to be perfect and loving, not proving a point. I slowly stepped to her and cupped her face with my right hand while my left slid around her waist and drew lazy circles on her back. She leaned into my hand and kissed my palm. I softly and lovingly kissed her plump lips. I knew we had a lot to discuss but I had to have her. I pulled away and asked her the one question I feared.

"Can I make you mine?" She smiled and nodded and took my hand in hers and led me to another room in the cottage. The room was small with only a bed in it. She turned to me and looked at me under her lashes while she bit her bottom lip. She was so sexy I couldn't resist. I bent and kissed her again. It started soft but quickly grew in intensity. Her tongue dueled with mine for dominance and neither wanted to submit. My hands moved to her thighs and lifted her up so she could wrap her legs around my waist. She softly ground into me and I nearly lost it right there.

I carried her to the bed and gently laid her down. I began kissing her neck and my right hand moved to her bra covered breast. I softly caressed it and rubbed my thumb over her hardened nipple. She arched into my hand and moaned loudly. I moved my hand to her back and unhooked her bra but didn't remove it. I looked into her eyes and she nodded answering my silent question. I moved my hands to her bra straps and slowly, teasingly removed it. Each new strip of flesh being unveiled was a gift from heaven. When it was completely removed I just stared at her beauty. I finally snapped out of it when she giggled. My eyes snapped to hers and she had a playful and loving smile on her face.

I smiled crookedly at her and went to kiss her lips again. My hands went to her breasts where I caressed and kneaded the glorious mounds. They were my new play toys. They fit into my hands perfectly and her nipples were amazing. I softly flicked and pinched them causing her to either moan or whimper. I was ready to cum right then and there just from her sounds. My mouth trailed down her neck and chest to one of the beautiful peaks. I gently took her nipple in my mouth and flicked my tongue over it quickly. This caused as "oh Edward" to fall from her heavenly lips.

While my mouth was occupied by her breasts I moved my hand down to her jeans and unfastened the button and slid the zipper down. I had to see her in all her naked glory or I would die, I was sure of it. I sat up and went to remove her jeans but her hands stopped me. I looked at her and she was shaking her head and I immediately felt like an asshole. Of course she wasn't ready for this, we were moving too fast. I was about to apologize when she looked at me under her lashes again and said, "You're wearing too many clothes Edward."

She sat up and removed my shirt from my body. She moaned appreciatively and ran her hands over my chest and abdomen. It was my turn to moan this time as her glorious hands ran over my body. She began licking and nipping at my neck and collarbone. I had never experienced this type of pleasure before. She ran her nails softly over my nipples and growled and threw my head back. It all felt so good. I didn't even realize it but during the sweet torture she gave my body my hands had moved to her breasts again.

I gently pushed back to the bed and removed her jeans so all she was wearing were tiny midnight blue panties that were pleading with me to rip them off of her. I picked up her long leg and began kissing and licking the sweet flesh up to her core. I stopped there and picked up her other leg and kissed and licked the same way. I stopped at her core again my mouth just hovering over her panties and I growled, "I have to taste you." She moaned and whimpered, "please."

I gathered her panties in my teeth and firmly ripped them from her body, the smell of her arousal hit me hard. I stuck out my tongue and licked a firm stroke between her lips. She was so wet and tasted so good. I buried my face in her core and I couldn't get enough. I licked and sucked everything she gave me. She was moaning and screaming above me and I growled sending the vibrations through her clit. I stuck a finger in her tight warm pussy and gently curled to tease her sweet spot while I sucked and licked her clit. Suddenly, she tightened around my finger and screamed my name. I licked up everything I could loving her taste.

She slowly came down from her high and I'll admit I was pretty smug. She grabbed my face and forced me up to her mouth. I didn't realize just how strong she was and couldn't fight her, not that I wanted to anyway. She kissed me deeply and moaned and I realized she could taste herself on my face and she liked it. This made me even harder and it was getting painful. She pulled from me and begged me, "Please Edward, make love to me."

I growled softly, "Will you never have to beg me."

I quickly removed my jeans and stroked my cock a couple of times. She looked at it with wide eyes and smiled wickedly. While I stroked my cock, she was stroking my ego. I laid down between her legs and the tip of my cock was right at her entrance. I looked into her eyes and saw nothing but love.

I remembered before she had told me she was a virgin but I also thought she was seventeen years old so I decided to ask her. "Love, have you ever?" She shook her head no and smiled softly at me. I could see a bit of nervousness and I wanted to calm her fears. I gently stroked her face and murmured how much I loved her and how beautiful she was while I slowly slid in. When I reached her barrier I paused and kissed her deeply before I thrust quickly in. She made a little noise but she didn't stop kissing me. I stayed still buried deep inside her heat while kissing her.

She began to buck her hips slightly and I took it as a sign she wanted me to begin moving. I slowly slid out and back in and this time I concentrated on the feel of her around me. She was so warm and wet and tight. I didn't want to stop but I was quickly approaching my climax. I shifted so my hand could rub her clit while my mouth latched itself on her nipple. She began to tightened even more around my cock and she came with a scream, "Oh, I love you, Edward."

Three quick and deep thrusts later, I came with a roar deep inside my love. I collapsed on top of her, my cock still twitching inside of her pussy. We were both breathing heavily and completely spent. I looked at her and knew I couldn't live without her. We both lied to each other and we needed to get the truth out there before we could move on but I would always love her.


	3. Unbreak My Heart

**A/N: I'm so sad, there have been hardly any hits and very few reviews. Please let me know what you think!**

**Chapter 3 Unbreak My Heart **

**BPOV**

In all of my nearly one thousand years, I have never felt this type of bliss. My life before was lonely. I am the only human/werewolf/vampire hybrid. I always traveled by myself since the only people who knew about me were leaders of their own kind. Every hundred years or so, my brothers and I would try to see each other but other than that I've been alone.

I never thought I would meet Edward. I moved to Phoenix from New York City and entered the foster system. I was fifteen year old, Isabella Warren, when I met Renee. She was going through another of her phases; yoga, kayaking, cake decorating, why not motherhood. She ended up just being a friend, where I was more of the mother. I appreciated everything she did for me though.

When I move to a new city, sometimes I enter the foster system and go to high school, sometimes I get my own apartment and enroll in college and sometimes I find a random job and play the part of struggling young adult. I have met so many different people, some good and some bad, but Renee was definitely different. She was a free spirit and loved to try new things. I was constantly talking her out of her newest trends, especially when she decided to try ghost hunting. I didn't want her involved with the supernatural world.

I was living with her for about a year, when I met Charlie. There was something about him that reminded me of my own father. He and I had a special bond and when Renee married Phil and wanted to travel with him I was more than happy to live with Charlie. I truly enjoyed the time I spent with him. Since Forks was such a small town and Charlie was the chief of police, we decided to keep my adoption a secret. I was surprised when he wanted to adopt me. I just assumed I would be his foster child but he wanted to share his name with me and it was a great honor. We created stories about how I would visit him during my summers and he spread them throughout the town. No one questioned Charlie and soon they came up with their own stories about me. I was surprised Edward didn't find out about my adoption through Charlie's thoughts, but then again he did say his thoughts were murky.

When I met Edward, I knew he was my mate. His rejection at first hurt so badly and I just assumed it was another defect of mine. The love I had for my mate was not returned and I would continue to live in solitude. The day he saved me from the van, I knew he felt something towards me. He shouldn't have risked himself but he didn't know I could protect myself. I actually shifted to my vampire state right before my head hit the pavement and that was why I didn't have an injury. I quickly shifted back while he dealt with the van.

Afterwards, I did everything I could to get him to tell me his secret. I hoped if he showed he trusted me with it then Marcus would allow me to tell him mine. I contacted Marcus and William shortly after our date in the meadow. Both decided if Edward agreed to change me or proposed, I could tell him and only him my secret. We knew the rest of the Cullens would also have to know but they were still working on that part. Then the baseball game happened and the situation with James nearly revealed everything about me. When I met him at the ballet studio, I had every intention of simply stalling him until Edward could arrive. I knew it would be close but we couldn't let him get away and stay on the run. I could have easily killed James on my own but wouldn't be able to explain how I did. When James attacked me, I worked so hard to stay in my human form and if Edward wouldn't have sucked out the venom I would have shifted. I was literally seconds away from shifting. Thankfully my other injuries weren't serious enough to force a shift and I stayed in my human form.

"What are you thinking about?" Edward's normal sex hair was particularly sexy right now and he had a slight smile on his face. We were both still naked and wrapped up in each other.

I giggled, "Hmm, I guess you would like to know why you can't hear me, huh?" His eyes got wide and he nodded.

"_Well that would be because I'm a shield. I can block my mind, scent, emotions, and future from anyone. Which reminds me when I shift back to my human form, I'll be sure to shield the scent of my blood for you. I'm sorry I didn't before. I wanted to but that would have raised questions I couldn't answer." _ I thought to him.

His eyes got even wider when I allowed him to hear that thought but then narrowed at the end of it. "Why didn't you tell me? Did you not trust me?" He looked so hurt.

"I wanted to tell you so badly. I begged my brothers to allow me to tell you but they wanted to know for sure you loved me. They made me promise not to tell you unless you agreed to change me or proposed. The only other option was coming to see Marcus so he could read our relationship for himself but coming to Volterra was not an option. By the way when you see Aro, he cannot read your thoughts. Marcus will help you when you meet with him tomorrow and you cannot tell your family. Also, you might want to call Alice, I'm blocking you right now so she can't see you. When you go back tell her you ran into one of the Quileute wolves on his honeymoon and suggested he leave the area since there are so many vampires." I knew he had more questions but decided to leave it for now.

"You're right I need to get back. When will I see you again? What are we going to do about the Volturi?" He was hugging me and I knew he didn't want to leave me and I felt the same way.

"Marcus thinks we can fake my death. Demetri can't track me and with Alice's visions blank, they should buy it. But when you go back to tell them your decision, you need to tell them you want to help find me and change me. Marcus has already concocted a story and Charlie is being informed as we speak. When you see the story, suggest Alice contact him or maybe she'll even get a vision of him. I hate that he has to be hurt but it's the only way. Have Alice show Aro her vision if he asks for proof. You're going to have to act like a grieving mate but do not let Aro touch you. Decide you want to ask for death and when Alice has the vision, she'll beg you not to, hopefully. Let Esme comfort you and while she is doing that, decide you can't do that to her, take away two of her children." I prayed this plan worked.

"This is a good plan. I think it will work. What about after, are we going to tell the family? And how does Marcus keep his thoughts of you away from Aro?" His brow was furrowed and I reached up to smooth it.

"Well after, I think we'll tell the family. I hate to put them through pain and I know they'll be made at me but I hope they'll forgive me. We should have time to come up with another plan to avoid Aro after they know. When I first discovered my shield, I found I was able to break off a piece of it and give it to Marcus and William. It won't stop a power like Jane but it allows them to only show the thoughts they want to Aro. Marcus has completely mastered it so Aro has no idea. I would do it for you but it takes practice to control your thoughts like that. You wouldn't be able to do it before your meeting, although perhaps I should and if he touches you, your mind will be blank and I'll still be a secret." I was contemplating which would be better, show Aro everything or nothing and risk Edward's life.

"I think you should give it to me, so you stay hidden." He wasn't thinking this through.

"If your mind is blank, Aro may take that as a threat and kill you. Not to mention he would be highly suspicious. It's too dangerous."

"Bella, if Aro sees you, he would not only come after you but he may kill Marcus and I'll still be in danger. If Aro wants you he will stop at nothing including using me to get to you." I started shaking at the thought of anything happening to him.

"No, I can't stand to even think of something happening to you. I will protect you at all costs."

"You think I don't feel the same about you. Please just give me the shield, it's the safest way." He was right.

"Okay, I will, you're right." I closed my eyes and concentrated. I felt my shield around us and broke off a piece of it and then like you would blow a bubble, I stretched that piece and surround Edward with it. He was still under my shield to keep Alice's visions out.

Just then my phone buzzed and I saw it was a text from the driver. Marcus had instructed him to pick up Edward a couple of hours later so we could have some alone time. I was so sad; I didn't want him to leave.

"The driver's here to take you back to your family. You won't see me again until this is over with the Volturi. I'll meet you back in Alaska and we can begin our lives together." I smiled at this thought. Sure I was still hurt by him leaving and he was hurt by my deception but we would work through it, I was sure.

"Please be safe, Bella. I love you so much. I can't lose you. I know I hurt you and we have some things to work out but I cannot live without you." He kissed me passionately before I could respond to him.

We broke apart, breathing heavily, our foreheads resting together. "You be safe too. Marcus will help you. Just stick with the plan and brush up on your acting skills. We'll be together again soon."

We both got up and dressed, kissing and holding each other as much as possible. My heart broke again as he walked out the door.

**EPOV**

Leaving Bella in that cottage was so hard. There were still so many questions left unanswered but I had to trust her. The plan to fake her death was good, but I worried what it would do to the family. I didn't want to see Esme crying over her daughter she never said goodbye to or see Alice blame herself for following my wishes to stay out of Bella's life. But most of all I was worried about what it would do to me. Even though I know she's safe and with me forever, just the thought of her dying tore my chest in two. I was also worried about avoiding Aro. My plan for right now was to let Carlisle do all of the talking. Hopefully Aro will accept the vote we did and see what my vote was and leave it be.

When I got into the limo, it was empty except for a set of clothes that were duplicates of what I was wearing. I had to make sure Bella's scent was off of me before I returned to the family. They could know nothing about this and it was killing me to lie to them.

I arrived back at the suite and was attacked my Alice and Esme. Both of their thoughts were worried about me since Alice couldn't see my future. I hugged them gently back, whispering I was sorry to worry them. Esme released me and went to sit next to Carlisle, while Alice stayed attached to me. This again had me worried about how the next couple of days or even weeks would go. I just dragged her with me to the coach and sat her and myself next to Jasper. She finally released me when Carlisle spoke.

"What happened, Edward? And why couldn't Alice see you?" His thoughts showed me a pacing Alice, frantically searching for my future.

"Marcus just wanted to tell me about Didyme and what it's like to live without her. He doesn't want to see anyone else live without their mate. He normally wouldn't care so much but I reminded him of himself and it brought up a lot of memories for him. After we spoke, I walked around collecting my thoughts when I ran across one of the Quileute wolves on vacation here and suggested he leave since this is the vampire capital of the world. That must be why she couldn't see me."

Carlisle nodded and I was really surprised that he bought it. I think this whole situation was too much stress for him and he was just thankful I was there. Again, I worried about the plan to fake Bella's death. My family loved her so much and would be devastated. I knew they would also blame me even more for taking them away from her. I only hoped I was good enough an actor, they will feel the need to comfort me rather than be angry with me and let me get myself killed.

The rest of the night was spent in silence. Normally, the couples would leave to spend time alone but each was too busy with their thoughts. I considered leaving to get away from it all but when Alice saw that she begged me to stay and I couldn't tell her no. I had already done enough to hurt my family; I was determined not to do more. Memory after memory of Bella raced through their minds and it made me question what was really true and what was fake. Was she really clumsy? And what happened with James? If she could defend herself why did she allow herself to be bitten by him and suffer her injuries? She almost died and would have if I didn't show up. I just kept coming up more questions and never getting any answers.

The morning was quiet and solemn. We didn't want to have to do what we were forced to. It didn't feel like to have to choose. I even knew what was going to happen and it still didn't feel right. We were once again escorted by Demetri and Felix to the throne room. Everything was exactly the same and Marcus never even acknowledged we were in the room. His expression was the same, stoic and bored. I tried to read his thoughts but there was nothing there and I wondered if it was Bella's shield or he was actually thinking nothing.

As I looked at him, I began to wonder if it was truly Chelsea's gift keeping him here or if it was actually Bella. He would do anything to ensure she was safe including suffer his existence alone with the man who murdered his mate. I respected him even more now.

Aro stood again and welcomed the family. "So lovely to see you all again. I assume you have to come to a decision?"

I nodded to Carlisle and he stepped forward, raising his hand to Aro. Even Carlisle could not speak the words out loud. Aro touched his hand and gasped then smiled brightly.

"Wonderful, I am most curious to see what gift she will have, since she is obviously strong enough to keep young Edward out of her mind! I will also allow for your request to leave the ultimate decision up to her. Now you will be assisting us in finding her?"

"Yes, we would like to help in anyway and would prefer first contact to be made by us when we find her. We have some issues we would like to clear before bombarding her with her options." Carlisle said.

"I will also grant that request. However, my guard will accompany you but remain out of sight. We wouldn't want to have to chase you as well." Aro chuckled but none of us responded.

Aro began to speak again but Alice was hit hard with a vision and gasped. I looked into her mind and saw Charlie receiving the phone call about Bella's death. As I watched the vision play out, I couldn't help but let the emotions overtake me. I knew in my head she was safe but my heart felt like it was all real. I watched as a man I highly respected collapsed on a chair in his kitchen still clutching the phone while listening to the details of a car wreck that took the life of his daughter.

I felt my knees buckle under me and let my body fall to the floor. I couldn't contain the sobs that wracked through my body. Even though the pain was enormous, I kept reminding myself she was safe and I needed to ensure Aro didn't touch me. I was thankful Alice was closer to him than I was and I watched as he held out his had to touch her. She was cradled in Jasper's arms and had he been paying more attention to his surroundings I'm sure he would have stopped Aro. Esme was with me while Carlisle and Jasper were attempting to find out the vision from Alice. With my reaction they knew it was Bella but didn't know the details.

When Aro spoke, his voice was actually laced with sadness as if he felt our loss too. "I'm so sorry dear friends. It seems the reason Alice cannot see Bella is because she was killed in an accident. The vision was of her father receiving the news."

Esme's sobs joined mine and Alice's in the room. Carlisle knelt beside us and joined us in mourning while Emmett went to Jasper and Alice and moved them closer to us. The only one not moving was Rosalie, although she too looked sad.

As we were huddled on the floor sobbing, I heard Marcus' thoughts. "_I know your heart is hurting right now with this situation but remember she is alive. My brother and I have been protecting her for nearly a millennium but now it is your turn. Take care of her and love her always. She is very special; there will never be another like her."_ I nodded my head to acknowledge him. He had basically given me his blessing and it soothed the ache slightly.

When my head finally cleared some, I remembered what I needed to do. I had to decide to ask for death. I knew it was going to hurt Alice and Esme even more but it had to be done. Aro wasn't quite convinced we didn't somehow concoct this story in order to avoid the Volturi. Hopefully this will be proof enough.

I made a firm decision to stand from the group and ask the brothers for death to allow me to join my love. I heard Alice gasp again and sob even harder while chanting "No, you can't. Don't leave us," over and over in her head and out loud. Aro reached for her again and saw the vision she had and he looked over at me. "Young Edward, are sure of this decision?"

"What decision? What?!" Esme was frantically trying to get me to look her in the eye.

"Please mom, I can't live without her. This is my fault, please." She realized what I meant and held me tighter.

"No, you can't leave us, you promised. She wouldn't want you to do that, Edward. Think of Bella, she would be so mad at you. No, no, please no." I hated hurting her so much. Finally I made the decision to at least attend her funeral. She deserved that much at least.

Alice clutched to me harder and started saying, "Thank you, thank you." Aro touched her again and saw me attending Bella's funeral in three days. There was no casket since the car caught fire and only ashes remained. My entire family was there, as well as all of Forks. Chief Swan was sitting in the front row staring at a picture of Bella and Alice was holding his hand.

Aro's thoughts turned to verifying with the police of her death but leaving it at that. He had originally planned random visits by the guard but thankfully he changed his mind.

After a few minutes or maybe hours, Carlisle stood and apologized for the scene we created then informed Aro of our departure from Italy. We were going to fly straight to Seattle and continue to Forks. I had no idea when I would see Bella again but I prayed it was soon. My heart was still aching with the thought of her being dead and I constantly saw Charlie's broken expression when he received the phone call. We left the castle and went straight to the airport.

We pulled into the driveway to the house in Forks in silence. Actually we traveled the entire way from Italy to Forks in silence. Looking back I couldn't remember anything from the trip. For the first time since I was changed my memories were foggy and not sharp at all. We silently entered the house and I went up the stairs to my bedroom. Everything about this place reminded me of her and it ached all the more.

When I opened my bedroom door, I expected to see my room exactly the way I left it. When I left Forks I didn't take anything with me. Even my Volvo is still in the garage. I just couldn't bear it. So when I opened my door and saw a huge king sized bed and a beautiful angel on top of it, I was surprised. The second I saw her, my heart healed and I smiled and ran to her. I held her close, burying my face in her hair and breathed in her scent.

"Hi there handsome." When she spoke all thoughts from the house were stunned. They thought I had finally gone insane and was imitating her voice as a split personality. Emmett even imagined me dressing up as a woman with lipstick and fake boobs talking to myself.

I chuckled and said, "I think we need to explain some things."

She nodded and said, "Would everyone like to meet in the living room?" She grabbed my hand and led me down the stairs to join our family and possibly get some limbs removed by a pissed off pixie.


	4. I'm Sorry

**A/N: Oops! I had a typo so its now fixed!**

**Chapter 4 I'm Sorry**

**BPOV**

As Edward and I entered the living room, we were met with shocked stares. I hated putting them through the pain of my death. Even though they all left me in Forks, I still considered them family and didn't want them hurting. Alice was the first to snap out of it and came rushing to me and hugged me. Then she squealed loudly and started screaming, "You're alive!" The others snapped out of it when she yelled and Esme ran to join our hug.

I was still in their embrace when all of a sudden we were lifted off of the ground. Emmett had bear hugged us all so tightly that I shifted to my vampire form and growled. I was able to control myself enough to not shove him away but when my body is so close to death and is forced to shift, my self defense comes out. When I growled he dropped us and everyone again looked at me in shock. I closed my eyes so they couldn't see it and gave my body some time to heal before I shifted back to my human form.

I opened my eyes and gave a weak smile, "Umm… I guess I have a lot of explaining to do."

"Damn right, what in the hell was that?" Ahh Emmett, right to the point.

Thankfully Edward stepped in, "How about we all sit down?" I noticed him grimace and then nod and wondered what someone had thought. I looked to Alice and figured it was her, she looked pissed.

We sat down and I looked around, attempting to sort through my thoughts while also trying to read the room. They were all still in a state of shock. "I guess I should start off by apologizing profusely. I have lied about so many things and kept so many things from you, but please understand it was for your own protection. I'm so sorry for dragging you all into this. I swear I will protect all of you with my own life and will always put you first." I was rambling but I wanted their forgiveness so badly.

"Whoa, Bella, first off let me say we are all so happy you're okay. We all know you would do anything to protect us but we should have been the ones to protect you. We wish you would have told us about Charlie not being your father but we understand. You have nothing to protect us from; we will work everything out as a family." Carlisle was so sweet but he had no clue.

"You don't understand, Carlisle. I'm not human. Yes, Charlie was not my father but that lie is nothing compared to what my life really is." I put my head in my hands. I had no idea how to go about telling them this.

"Bella sweetheart, why don't you start at the beginning? It will all flow from there." Edward was rubbing my back, trying to comfort me. I still couldn't believe he wanted to be with me after all of the lies and deceit.

"Well, I guess I should start by making sure you all want to know. What I tell you cannot leave this room, at all. If it were to get out, it could possibly start a war and no one will survive. If you do not wish to bear this burden I completely understand and I will leave and never bother you again. This has to be your decision." I could tell they all understood the severity of the situation.

"Oh Bella, we never want you to leave and if you are in danger we will protect you. You are my daughter and I will never leave you." Esme sat beside me and hugged me to her. She was sobbing and I was doing my best to calm her.

"Esme's right, Bella. You are our daughter and we will protect you. If doing so means keeping this a secret then so be it." Carlisle smiled and pulled Esme with him back to his chair.

"We're good at keeping secrets, Belly Bean. Don't you worry. And you if you need some extra muscle I got your back, baby sis." I giggled as Emmett flexed his muscles.

Alice and Jasper also agreed to keep it a secret and protect me if need be. Rosalie didn't answer and before I said anything to the family, she had to agree also.

"Rosalie? Before I say anything I need everyone's agreement." Even though I could kick her ass, I was still intimidated by her. She was beautiful and hated me with a passion.

"I cannot agree. I do not want my family in danger and if you being her does that, then leave." She sneered at me, her indifferent façade slipping.

I sighed I didn't know what to do. I was thinking through my options when Edward spoke up. "Rosalie, I have stood by you and supported you when you needed it. Why can't you do this for me? Are you that jealous of her? All you are doing is hurting the family. You need to grow and get over yourself. Bella and I are going to leave and when you stop being such a bitch let us know."

He grabbed my hand and pulled me up and started to leave the room. Esme was sobbing loudly now and Alice was screaming at Rosalie but you couldn't make out what she was saying it was so fast. Jasper was trying to calm the room and even Emmett was scowling at her. I had to stop this, I would not tear this family apart too. Everything was my fault.

"STOP!" Everyone froze and stared at me in shock again. This was becoming a trend. "I will not tear this family apart. Rosalie, if you decide to tell anyone outside of this room, my story then you will not only be putting me in danger but also, Emmett, Edward, Jasper, Alice, Carlisle and Esme along with every other human, vampire, werewolf, and creature on this planet. If you don't want that pressure, then please leave and no one will tell you." This was the only solution.

She looked at Carlisle but he just nodded agreeing with me. She stood up with a huff and fled the room.

Edward dragged me back to the couch and set me down. "I'm so sorry." I whispered.

"It's okay Bella. Please tell us your story." Carlisle was encouraging me but I could tell he was deeply hurt by Rosalie's actions.

I took a deep breath and started telling my story. I explained how vampires and werewolves came to be and how I was changed into a half breed. I told them Marcus of the Volturi is actually my brother and my other brother, William, is a leader of the werewolves. I explained and showed them my vampiric features. I also explained why I growled at Emmett. When I was finished, I sat back and waited for questions. I knew Carlisle had a lot and was fascinated.

"I'm sure you know I have a lot of questions and hopefully that's okay with you?" He was always so kind.

"Of course, I expected nothing less." I smiled and nodded at him.

"Well first, I want to ask, why don't you have a scent right now? You don't smell human at all." I laughed at this and thought this was my first mistake I made when I first arrived in Forks.

"I have a shield that is able to block out mental abilities, like Edward's mind reading, but it can also block my scent. When I'm in my human form, I tend to leave my scent unblocked but not my mind. By the time I realized you were vampires, it was too late and Edward noticed me. If I magically blocked it, he would have asked questions, I couldn't answer. Now that you all know, I'm keeping my block up. I've lived with it for so long and have so much control that even as a human it's not difficult to do." I smiled apologetically at Jasper, wishing I had it up the day of my birthday.

He looked at me and spoke, "Speaking of your scent, I'm so sorry about your birthday. I feel so bad…"

I cut him off there; if anyone understood what he went through it was me. "Jasper, you have nothing to be sorry for. I completely understand. It's really my fault. I know how it feels to lose control and the feelings after you come back to yourself. There was no harm done." I sighed and looked down; this was the really hard part to talk about. "After Marcus and I killed that army, I refused to shift back to my vampire form once I was human. I was determined not to kill another person. I was able to stay in my human form for years but one night, while Marcus was hunting in a small village, there was an accident. My body was forced to change and I went into an uncontrollable bloodlust. I don't remember anything except standing in the middle of this village with so much blood everywhere. There was not a single person alive. I had killed every man, woman and child in my rage. I hated myself for centuries and refused to let it happen again so I would join Marcus when he hunted and only take one or two. I was still disgusted with myself but starving myself had a far worse outcome."

I couldn't look up. Edward always called himself a monster, but I was the real monster. I doubt any of them had even taken a child's life. Marcus always blamed himself for that night. He said he saw me and thought I had come to my senses. When he realized how out of control I was, it was too late.

"Bella it's okay. You didn't know, love. It was not your fault." Edward was trying to comfort me but I brushed him off. This was my punishment.

"I didn't learn I could feed off of animals, until Carlisle went to Volterra and Marcus heard about you. When he told me, I was so relieved and angry at myself for not coming up with it before." I smiled at Carlisle; he changed my life in more ways than one.

"I'm very happy to hear that but I think we should take a break. You look tired and we need to prepare for your memorial. We need to keep up appearances even though it will be hard." Everyone nodded and I felt horribly guilty again.

"Again, I'm so sorry. Marcus and William both thought it was the only way. When Marcus heard I was blocking Alice's visions, he decided faking my death was the best reason. We didn't want to intrigue Aro anymore and put in any more danger."

"We understand and appreciate you doing this for us. It can't be easy for you either. Now go rest and we'll see you in the morning." Esme hugged me tightly and sent me on my way.

I said good night to everyone and Edward and I went upstairs. I was gone as soon as my head hit the pillow.

**EPOV**

Bella was adorable as ever sleeping in my arms. I thought back to tonight and everyone's reactions. Carlisle was intrigued and fascinated by her. He always loved to study Bella's mannerisms but now it was about a hundred notches stronger. Esme just kept thinking she's had a hard life and needed our family as much as we needed her. Bella was her baby girl even though she was about 900 years older. Emmett kept thinking how cool she was and wanted to test her strength. He has always wanted to wrestle with her and now he could.

Jasper was excited to talk to her about everything she has seen and experienced. When she shared her story about losing control, they formed a connection none of us had. They knew what it was like to truly lose control and give yourself over to your instincts then the guilt they felt afterwards, knowing they had to do it again. Even though I spent about a decade killing humans, I sought out the evil ones, never the innocent. I felt guilty and yet justified at the same time.

Alice was so excited to have Bella back. She wanted her best friend and sister to be with us forever and it was going to happen. Bella allowed her to see her future and Alice was relieved and felt much better.

Tomorrow was going to be rough. I didn't want to face Charlie. Bella explained to me, they had a connection she had never felt with anyone before. He reminded her of her real father and it was hurting her to do this to him. There was no choice though.

Alice had a vision and I saw it was of Rosalie coming back. I didn't want to deal with her drama. What I said was true though. As much as it hurt to leave, I was going to. I would not have anyone speak to my mate that way. I saw in her mind how jealous of Bella she was. Bella was instantly accepted into this family and had captured my attention from the moment I saw her. Rose did not, even though Carlisle changed her for me. Her vanity was her weakness.

Even though Rose and I hated each other at first, I still supported her. I never spoke a word when she killed Royce and his friends and we had to move. I helped Carlisle when he changed Emmett for her and we had to move. Every time Emmett slipped and we had to move, I was there helping pack and decide what house to buy. I even helped them acquire gifts for each other and was Emmett's best man several times. I never once complained or showed anything other than my full support. Then when I finally find some happiness all she does is bitch and complain. All the times she plotted to get me with Tanya were not about helping me get over Bella like she told herself; no it was about whom she wanted me to be with.

As she entered the house I noticed she was guarding her thoughts. It instantly set me on edge and I know something was up. I knew the best thing to do was to confront her but for now I was going to stay right beside my Bella.

**A/N: Please review!!**


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